The computer is a lovely companion. However, like most, it is not perfect. I was coaxing words out of it the other morning, had it up to 414 prosaic and eloquent words. Then, suddenly, crash! I was more than a little irritated. It was an article dealing with pets, hobbies and social occasions. It was the end of a five part series on health. It was, if I may say so, not bad. Suddenly the computer and I collided. I did something I shouldn’t. It did something I didn’t understand. With just a bit more moxey I could have salvaged the outcome. But, I hit the wrong buttons and the piece is now forever gone. It is requiring of patience to deal with anything technological, particularly if you aren’t proficient in matters of complexity, logarithims, algebra, geometry, trig, and whatever other stuff , I never understood in high school, they have crammed into these increasingly small boxes.

Retirement is the time for seniors to think about travel.  We put off some trips during the career phase of our lives, because we either did not have time for them or we lacked resources to go where we wanted.  Now we have the time!  But some of us may lack the resources to do [...]

When we listen to our bodies, as we age, we hear some strange and unfamiliar sounds. Those sounds are both real, as in the creaking of our bones, and surreal as in the voices that tell us what life has taught. Aging is, without question, the most life challenging experience of all. It is bound up in what we have been, who we are, how we perceive ourselves, how we see the world, how we accommodate change.

Seniority is a product of aging. It may mean we have earned certain respect. It also may reveal how little we have listened to life as we age. Age, whatever the number, is a continuum. It is, however, not a repetition of the same patterns from decade to decade. Look at the photographs of yourself over several years. The changes are dramatically obvious. At first the changes are more subtle, less remarkable. As time proceeds, the invasion of age shows its itself. For some it is more

Searching for certainty these days seems a futile task. Almost everywhere you look there are contradictory reminders of how much is askew in our society and culture. Nationally it is bad enough. Globally, it gets even more convoluted. What’s the most serene and assuring way to face all of the confusions which bombard us with regularity?

If our choice is to take everything with seriousness, we start off in trouble. There have to be some built in exits to allow us to get a breath of fresh air, take in the sunshine, hear nothing but birdsong and the silence of nature. Caught up in the urban milieu, our perspective is likely to be blurred. If we can’t see the buildings down the street for the pollution in the air, then it is tough to decide just where to go next.

A litany of complaints is often received with disinterest, indifference and little sympathy. Most of us have heard all the complaints, registered the many details for “woe is me,” and have shoveled out about as much compassion as we are prepared to, particularly for a winter cold, a nasty touch of arthritis, a stomach ailment and other “major” aging deficiencies.

The quote in the title has long been a classic response to the complainer. The point is there is little sympathy for the chronic complainer who can do nothing to add to the conversation other than bemoan his/her state of existence. Good luck, pal. It just doesn’t carry much water. If all you have to offer to the conversation is a running account of your bowels, best look elsewhere.

Flu season is upon us. Everybody is rushing for their annual shots. Swine Flu is the disease of fashion this year. Nobody wants it. It is particularly threatening among those who are 6 months to 24 years old. Stand aside seniors. For once we are not as susceptible to Swine flu as others. It is particularly encouraging we have finally won one lottery.

Now, full confession time, this writer and spouse have already had their shots. The assumption is that, like insurance, we are covered. As the old radio show, The Shadow asked, ” Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?” Flu ain’t funny. Already more than 3000 people have died from it, mostly in the western hemisphere. That doesn’t bode well.

Much is made over the onset warnings of Alzheimer’s. Rightly so. It is a scary disease which robs an individual and family of a human being, seemingly being transmuted into a robot. There are signs which suggest either dementia or Alzheimer’s. The two are not the same. Dementia is forgetfulness and loss of memory, put simply. Alzheimer’s is losing cognitive ability, as well as memory, and the ability to perform routine chores that once came easily. The greater the loss of memory in either case, the more difficult for patient and family to deal with all the attendant implications.

The most frightening piece of Alzheimer’s is when the loved one loses any recognition of dear loved ones. Then the slippery slope of managing a person whose physical acumen may be excellent begins to become more and more distressing and difficult.

A Silent Tribute to Those Whose Memory We Honor…
In tribute to those who died on 9/11/01 and those who share in the struggle for peace and harmony in our world, we give tribute in silence.

There are times, during the changing seasons of growing older, when life seems to get all knotted up. Prompted by mysterious and unknown provocations, the mind and spirit seem to get twisted out of shape. What does one do? Where does one turn? How does one find assistance in untangling those unyielding knots?

Recommendation: Identify a competent, well known, well qualified, credentialed therapist. Having someone, objective, calm and reasonable to talk to is the first step toward getting at those knots.

Now, there is a whole carload of assumptions behind this recommendation. Those, of course, will need to be addressed first and with objective consideration.

This column really depends on your point of view. If you are of the mind that everything in America, and perhaps the world, today is going to hell in a handbasket, you already know the answer to this question. There are enough persons who don’t think through the implications of issues and the conclusions, which affect us all, that it is quite scary to imagine where we might be headed.

Frank Rich who writes for the New York Times, and one of my favorite columnists, shared incisive remarks, as is his wont, on Sunday a few weeks ago. He shared that we are in the midst of a cauldron of prejudice and extreme bias, motivated by ignorance, anger and unwillingness to listen or hear.

Those who stir the cauldron are the witches of our time, seeking to concoct a brew that we will drink until inebriated and